The best Mac uninstaller apps, compared (2026)
Updated October 4, 2026
Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its settings, caches and helpers behind, so most people end up looking for an uninstaller. These are the five worth knowing about in 2026, compared on what they cost, what they do, and who each one suits. Yes, we make one of them, so we have kept to facts each developer publishes.
At a glance
| App | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| AppCleaner | Free | A simple drag-and-drop uninstaller |
| Pearcleaner | Free | An uninstaller with many power-user tools; development on hold |
| App Cleaner & Uninstaller | $14.95 a year, $7.95 a month, or $34.95 once | An uninstaller plus app updates, startup items and extensions |
| CleanMyMac | $39.99 a year, $9.99 a month, or $119.99 once | A utility suite that includes an uninstaller |
| UninstallGuard | $9.99 once, up to 3 Macs | A careful uninstaller that explains every file |
Prices are for one Mac, as listed on the developer’s site or the Mac App Store on October 3, 2026.
AppCleaner: the simple free choice
AppCleaner by FreeMacSoft has been the classic free answer for years: drop an app on its window, it finds the related files, and you remove them. After a long gap since 2023, version 3.7 arrived in September 2026 with support for macOS 27. It is free, and the developer accepts donations.
Pearcleaner: free, with the most power-user tools
Pearcleaner is a free, source-available uninstaller with an orphaned-file search, a Homebrew manager, command-line use, a Finder extension and a monitor that cleans up when an app hits the Trash. Its license, Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause, allows changes but not selling it. Its developer has marked the project as on hold; the latest release is 5.4.3. If you are looking for a replacement, see Pearcleaner alternatives.
App Cleaner & Uninstaller: an uninstaller plus extras
Nektony’s App Cleaner & Uninstaller removes apps with their leftovers and adds an app updater, startup-item and extension managers. For one Mac it costs $14.95 a year, $7.95 a month, or $34.95 once, and its subscriptions renew automatically.
CleanMyMac: a full suite
MacPaw’s CleanMyMac is a broad utility suite: cleanup, malware protection, performance tools, an uninstaller and more. On the Mac App Store it costs $39.99 a year, $9.99 a month, or $119.99 once, and the one-time purchase includes updates for its current major version. If you only want the uninstaller, see our CleanMyMac alternative page.
UninstallGuard: every file explained before it goes
UninstallGuard is ours. It is built for people who want an app gone completely without guessing what is safe to remove. Every file it finds is shown with its path, size, one of four plain confidence labels and the exact reason it matched. Nothing starts selected, and everything you approve moves to the Trash: its removal has no permanent-delete path, and History records where every file came from. It also finds leftovers from apps you deleted long ago and recognizes apps installed with Homebrew. It costs $9.99 once for up to 3 of your Macs, with every future version included, and needs macOS 14 or later.
Which should you pick?
- Free and simple: AppCleaner.
- Free, with Homebrew and command-line tools, and fine with an app that is on hold: Pearcleaner.
- An uninstaller that also updates your apps: App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
- Malware scanning, cleanup and an uninstaller in one app: CleanMyMac.
- Every file explained, nothing preselected, Trash only, paid once: UninstallGuard.
New to this? Our guide on how to completely uninstall an app on Mac shows where leftovers live and how to remove them by hand.
Questions people ask
Do I need an uninstaller app on a Mac?
Not to remove the app itself: dragging it to the Trash does that. An uninstaller finds the settings, caches, support files and background helpers the app left in your Library folders, which macOS does not remove for you.
Is there a good free Mac uninstaller?
Yes. AppCleaner is free and simple, and was updated for macOS 27 in September 2026. Pearcleaner is free and has many power-user tools, but its developer has marked the project as on hold.
Which Mac uninstaller is safest?
Look for one that shows every file before removal, starts with nothing selected, and moves files to the Trash instead of deleting them permanently. UninstallGuard is built around exactly those three rules.